Need kids’ help to protect horses

The UFT Humane Education Committee has joined Equine Welfare Alliance’s Youth Letter-Writing Campaign which is designed to “amend the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption” through passage of H.R. 2966 and S. 1176.

A similar campaign by children 40 years ago resulted in the passage of the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burros Act that was passed unanimously in both houses. EWA is asking for children to write letters to Congress and the president to tell them what horses mean to them and how important it is to protect our American horses from cruel and inhumane slaughter for human consumption.

These letters will be sent to one location and then will be delivered to Congress on March 27. Children from age 4 to 18 may submit drawings, letters and poems written in their own words. Schools can incorporate this process as a civics lesson on how the government works and how we the people have a civic duty to work within the confines of the law to effect positive change.

Additional information can be found at http://equinewelfarealliance.org/Children_s_Page.html, which contains lessons about horses created by the UFT Humane Education Committee in 2009 and recently updated. If you decide to involve your students, or your own children, letters can be mailed to: Million Horse March — Letter Campaign, Attn: Jo-Claire Corcoran, 301 Tazewell Ave., Bluefield, VA 24605.